A caveman goes to high school.

I didn’t have kind memories of this one. A cheap, light comedy with a softball concept, reliant upon a very specific time and place, starring Pauly Shore? Brendan Fraser as a mostly nonverbal caveman in sunglasses and jam shorts? Lord have mercy. Imagine my surprise upon discovering it was halfway decent. Make no mistake, _Encino Man_ is no landmark of cinema. It’s easy laughs and transparent setups, all the way. Even a cro-magnon could predict where the plot’s going. One visual punchline is so absurdly stupid, it’s become a lasting meme (imagine the single worst dusted white boy flattop of all time). But there’s also a unique charm to it, a loose sense of humor that just does its thing and hits its notes without worrying about what any outsiders might think. _Encino Man_ was Shore’s first big shot after catching eyes and ears on MTV, so it’s hardly surprising that he lathers it with as much _Totally Pauly_ valley boy attitude as he can muster. Keep riding the horse that got you to the race, right? That character wouldn’t have a very long shelf life - he’d nurture full go-away heat within the year - but as a herald of the ‘80s hangover, the ultimate affable SoCal stoner, his act actually sort of... works? Maybe because I hadn’t seen it in a long, long while and ninety minutes wasn’t enough for it to beat me over the head. He’s certainly the fuel behind this fire, lording over the high school arena and dusting it with a certain sense of skunky authenticity. Surrounded by so much outlandish culture and fashion (almost every scene includes at least one ensemble garish enough to elicit gasps and snickers) he seems right at home. He’s often a little above the melee, actually, snickering and cajoling like a slim, pink-headbanded pixie. Is this going to move you? No. Will it give you cause to roll your eyes? More than a few times. It did popularize the phrase “weazin’ the juice,” after all. Will it bore you, insult you, drive you to verbal violence? Nah. It’s silly but harmless, a mindless dose of inoffensive entertainment with more quality laughs than you might expect. Victims of Pauly Shore overload who are still coming to terms with their PTSD should steer clear, however: he’s everywhere, and he’s exactly how you remembered.